Thursday, April 29, 2010

Our Boy Named Eugina

Eugina was born almost 2 years ago. His Mother disappeared shortly after giving birth, leaving us to hand feed him. Later, after discovering Eugina was a boy we tried changing his name to Eugine, but somehow it just didn't fit. Eugina, as a kitten, was a barrel of laughs. He would often climb in the most inconspicuous hiding places, and playfully attack us as we walked by. He loved the outdoor life, chasing birds and chasing squirrels. Often times we would see him crouched low to the ground, his tail still and stiff, stalking and preying on a nearby bird feeding from the ground, but to our knowledge he never killed our wildlife friends.

Eugina was every bodies cat. He walked with me through my daily walks in the woods. Sometimes, he would run ahead of me, other times he walked along my side. He would wait patiently as I stopped to photograph some nearby nature. He would walk along downed pine trees, and sit with me for a little rest as I listened to the peace and quietness only nature can bring.

He would join my husband in the shed, and watch him tinker with all his manly toys. He would twist around his legs, weaving his tail in and out, purring loudly till my husband acknowledged his presence. He would often aggravate him, by pushing his head against his hand as he tried screwing something together with a screwdriver. A slight push away, and a few cuss words never fazed Eugina, he continued till my husband scratched his head. Satisfied, hed lay down nearby and watch him curiously.

He didn't have a certain human he liked to sleep with. He divided his time among us all. Some nights, you might would find him curled at the foot of the bed, while my 16 year old daughter was texting and doing homework all at the same time. Other times you might would find him, sleeping above my 14 year old daughters head, sharing the same pillow. He would often curl up in my husbands lap as he stretched back in his recliner. I always knew when Eugina climbed on my bed for a midnight nap. His purrs were always so much louder than the other cats.

Eugina, loved mice and was a great mouse hunter. We laughed one day as we watched him catch 5 in a row near the chicken pen. Another time, we saw him walking up from the woods with a field rat in his mouth as big as he. With Eugina around, no mouse was safe.

While Eugina stalked the wild birds, he never bothered my husbands cockatiels and parrot. In the evening my husband would let the birds out of their cages to explore the shed. Eugina knew they were part of the family and he never bothered them. Sometimes we would catch Winston, my husbands cockatiel, perched on top of Eugina as he was sleeping.

Eugina, was a protector to all our animals dogs, cats, and birds, as well as us humans. He would keep the mice population down. He would curl up against Stella, my American Bulldog, during one of his many cat naps. When Stella got sick one time, Eugina laid by her side all day and night till she started feeling better. He never seemed to mind, Stella's slobbering, long tongue as she licked him and cleaned him as if he were her young.

When one of our other cats Pirate, was stuck in the tree for 6 days. Eugina became disgusted with our many attempts of trying to get her down. He watched us day after day as we tried endlessly to no avail. He would sit back on the pic nic table, and watch us climb the tree, and offer her can salmon and tuna to try and bribe her down. He sat silently laughing at the many stupid attempts we made trying to rescue her. Disgusted with our silly stupidity, he jumped from the pic nic table, to the tree, and climbed all the way to the very tip top. He jumped branch to branch as he often watched the squirrels do, and he tip toed as if walking a tight wire, all the way to Pirate. He touched noses with her, meowed several times, then scooted back down the tree. Midways down, he turned and looked up at her, and meowed loudly as if he was saying "that's how its done, you idiot". When Pirate finally came down by herself, 6 days later, Eugina sniffed her from head to toe making sure she was ok. He followed her in the house and watched as she gorged on a whole can of salmon. He sat and waited patiently for the left overs.

Friday morning, after I got out of bed. I saw Eugina laying on the window sill. I opened the window to let him in as I have done every morning for the past 2 years. He looked as if he were asleep, but when he turned to the sound of the window opening, he didn't look like Eugina. He scared the living hell out of me. He scared me so bad, that I slammed the window shut because I didnt think it was him. Then I realized, it was Eugina and something was terribly wrong. His jaw hung open exposing his white sharp teeth. His green eyes were crossed with a white film over them. My youngest daughter ran outside to get him off the window ledge, cradling him gently in her arms.

We had assumed Eugina had been hit by a car, but later learned he was hit by a blunt object, whether a bat, a hammer, or with a foot from a swift hard kick. With Eugina's jaw broken we fed and gave him water through a straw and syringes. I gave him a warm bedding to sleep in, and told him stories during the evenings. I stroked his back, I kissed his little head gently. I whispered "I love You" in his ear and offered him comfort and courage. Yesterday morning, Eugina became to weak. He could no longer battle his injury.

Sorry for your loss. Nine lives will only go so far.Loved all your shots, especially the one with the dog. Amazing.Read you article on the camera. My first digital was very similar to your new one. I liked it very much. I'm sure you will be happy with it.

So sad, that happened to our sweet Eugina. I am sorry to hear he did not make it. The pictures are great, very pretty cat. Hold on to the memories of when he was healthy, strong and enjoying life with you. Hugs!

About Me

I am a mother of two teen daughters and have been happily married for 17 years. I live in SC. My only wish right now is that I lived further in the woods, further in the country surrounded by what I love the most...Nature. "The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air,the fragrance of the grass, the rain and thunder in the sky, the freshness in the morning,the dewdrop on a flower..speaks to me and I soar"

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Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.I join my hands in thanks for the many wonders of life.For having 24 brand new hours. The sun is rising on the forest and so is my awareness. - Thich Nhat Nanh

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1.Don't throw away your coffee grinds! Instead throw them in your vegetable garden, and flower gardens to use as mulch. the ph varies between 3.0 to 5.0. They will also discourage slugs from entering into your flower gardens as well without killing them.2.With summer approaching, add a cup of boiling water to about a half a cup or so to fresh rosemary, let it steep for about an hour. keep in a spritz bottle and spray on your body as needed to keep mosquitoes away. Also you can purchase lemon eucalyptus for the same purpose. A healthier more eco friendly alternative to mosquito spray. I used both methods last year and it worked great.3. Switch all your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. you can buy these in bulk at lowes, walmart, and the cost is down considerably these days. Plus, you will actually see the difference in your light bill.

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WHEN NATURE SPEAKS, DO YOU LISTEN is my blog about Nature. My blogging section contains my own written blogs, my own photos unless otherwise stated, nature videos I have run across, and simply my thoughts and experiences with being a nature lover. The right hand section, exactly where you are reading now, will be updated weekly. Here in this section you will also find nature quotes and different nature links I have come across. You will also find weekly tips and tricks about going green, and becoming more eco friendly. If you scroll down toward the bottom, you will find a section with LIVE streaming nature video updated once a week. As this site grows, I hope readers will provide me with their own links they find interesting, and their own photos for me to enjoy and post. If you find my site interesting, I would be thrilled if you followed me under Google Friend Connect or by RSS feeds. Please bookmark and come back regularly.